


Silent Treatment

by Krashlyn



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-07
Updated: 2014-07-16
Packaged: 2018-02-07 19:26:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1910877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Krashlyn/pseuds/Krashlyn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One story- three chapters- and a bit of angst. You can handle it- I know this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is always appreciated!

Ali had been giving Ashlyn the silent treatment all weekend. She wasn't ready to talk to her- which she told her numerous times. But Ashlyn never stopped trying- she wanted to prove she was sorry.

So when Toni and Jonesy invited them to lunch, they both went. And when the team went out after practice, they both joined in.

Ali wouldn't give her the time of day. Or night. But Ashlyn still slept next to her in their bed even though it felt like she was sleeping alone.

...

They won big. Ashlyn played a great game and was really proud of herself. But Ali didn't congratulate her after like she usually did. There was no hug, only a passing pat on the back, like she was any other teammate. And immediately her best game felt like her worst.

Her stomach dropped. She wasn't sure how much more of Ali's cold shoulder she could handle.

She didn't think she was in the wrong here but she understood why Ali was upset. She was in Ali's position once before so she knew how delicate the subject was...

_**Flashback to Germany. December 2012...** _

_"Hey!" Ali answered her phone cheerily. Not expecting to hear from Ashlyn until her train came in that night._

_"You're leaving." Ashlyn said bitterly. Ali could tell she was mad._

_"I'm... yea, I am. I- I was going to tell you tonight." Ali felt so guilty. "How did you know?"_

_"US fucking Soccer has a story about it online." Oh, she was furious._

_"Ashlyn, I'm so sorry. I was going to tell you tonight. I wanted to tell you in person. I didn't know they were going to run a story..." There was silence on the other end. "Baby, I'm so sorry." Ali pleaded._

_Ashlyn only sighed._

_"Please don't be mad."_

_"Don't be mad? What the- are you serious right now, Ali?!" Ashlyn was gripping the counter in front of her. "Don't be mad you're moving across the ocean? Or... don't be mad you didn't tell me you were doing so? Or... this one is the best... don't be mad I moved to fucking Germany for you and you're leaving?! Which one is it, Al?"_

_Ali could feel the tears coming to her eyes. They stung. Ashlyn had never talked to her that way before and the worst part was... she was right. Ali made a completely selfish decision but she did it because she knew they would be okay in the long run._

_And she did want to tell Ashlyn in person, but maybe she should have thought it through a little better and realized that wasn't the best option this time._

_Ali took a deep breath. "I'm so sorry. I can't tell you how sorry I am. Let's talk about this when you get here. Okay?" Ali's voice cracked and she fought the tears._

_There was no response at the end of the line._

_"Ashlyn?" Ali asked worriedly._

_Ashlyn swallowed the lump in her throat before answering. "I'm not coming anymore."_

_The tears rolled down Ali's face and she began to breathe heavily. "Ash, please." She begged. "I can explain everything. Just please come to Frankfurt." She sobbed._

_Ashlyn's heart was breaking at the sound of Ali crying but she was stubborn. "I don't want to be near you right now." Her voice shook._

_"Please, Ash. We- we need to talk about this." Ali said through whimpers._

_"I can't-"_

_"Please!" Ali cried out. It was desperate and it chilled Ashlyn to the bone. "Baby, please..." She said softly._

_Silence..._

_And then a sigh from Ashlyn's end of the line. "I'll see you at 7:00." She said before she abruptly hung up. Leaving Ali crying on the other end._

_Ashlyn threw the phone onto her bed and shook her head in anger. Something told her she was going to give in to Ali in the long-run._

_And she did. Ali moved back to the US. They worked through the distance... until Ashlyn followed._

...

**Present day...**

Ashlyn slowly regained composure and continued to go about hugging her other teammates. Then signing autographs. Even posing for a couple pictures with fans- one with Ali even. They played it off like nothing was going on but when the picture was done, Ali pulled away coldly. Ashlyn felt an emptiness in her heart as she left.

She was done. If Ali wanted to act like this and ignore her then that was her decision. Ashlyn had tried her best and been shut-out for days. She was done.

...

"Interesting outfit choice... but okay." Lori teased as Ashlyn walked past her on the way to her locker. She threw on shorts and a hoodie while everyone else changed into clothes to go out.

"What? Oh..." Ashlyn looked down at her clothes.

Lori narrowed her eyes. "You are coming with us, right?" She asked, slight concern evident in her voice.

"Nah. I'm... I'm gonna go home." She said hesitantly, sadly. She didn't feel welcome with the way Ali was treating her. She didn't want to be subjected to that tonight- her stomach was already churning with anxiety.

Ali looked over from her conversation with Diana and Tori when she heard that. She suddenly felt bad. Like maybe she was pushing Ashlyn too far.

"Are you sure?" Lori kept her eyes trained on Ashlyn to make sure she was okay.

"Yea, I just... had a long week." She exhaled, fighting emotion and Lori didn't notice it but Ali did.

"Okay..." Lori accepted that answer. Everyone needs space every now and then. "You played awesome today, Ash." She patted her on the back. "Probably your best game yet."

Ashlyn forced a smile. "Yea, it was okay." She said unconvincingly.

 _Oh no._ Ali mentally kicked herself. She realized Ashlyn took her lack of congratulating to heart. It made her doubt her performance and Ali immediately wished she could go back in time. _Fuck. Maybe I let this go too far._ Ali felt pressure on her heart.

...

Ashlyn walked over to Ali. She didn't want to... but had to let Ali know she was going home. They drove together- as usual.

"I'm heading home." She said, facing Ali but not looking at her. "Lori's the DD tonight. She said she'll drive you."

"You don't want to celebrate your shut-out?" Ali softened up from the guilt and Ashlyn realized she was only doing it because she felt bad.

"I don't feel like celebrating..." She kept her eyes down and pulled her duffel bag tight over her shoulder. "And I know you don't want to be around me so..."

That shot Ali through the heart. It hurt. She never felt so guilty before in her life. She sucked in a shuddering breath at the realization. Her hand began to tremble. This was not what she wanted to happen.

"Ash, I-"

"There's my favorite keeper!" Toni interrupted without noticing, wrapping an arm around Ashlyn's shoulders after not having a true chance to congratulate Ashlyn on her shut-out. "How does the clean sheet feel?" She asked excitedly.

"Good, good." Ashlyn said half-heartedly and allowed Toni to pull her away from her girlfriend.

...

Ali half expected that Ashlyn was using this as a tactic to get her to feel bad enough to apologize. But when she walked to the parking lot and Ashlyn's car was gone, she knew she messed up.

She went out anyway. Pretended everything was fine. Everyone asked where Ash was or why she wasn't there and Ali played it off like nothing had changed. She seemed to forget the part where Ashlyn was everyone's favorite.

She only lasted about an hour and Lori wasn't ready to go so she called a cab.

She took a deep breath before walking in the door to their apartment. She needed to swallow her pride and give a pretty good apology right now.

...

But when she walked in all the lights were out. Ali's heart dropped at the thought of Ashlyn coming home alone, going to bed alone. What made it worse was the way Ashlyn must have felt during that time. Ali acted like she didn't exist for three days. She regretted it deeply right now- realizing how upset Ashlyn must have been.

Ali quietly walked into the bedroom to keep from waking Ashlyn. This was not a conversation she could have with a groggy girlfriend. She shuffled to their bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face.

She froze when she walked back into the bedroom. The bathroom light illuminated part of their room through the half open door. A line of brightness spread across the bed.

It was empty.

...


	2. Chapter 2

"Where are you!?!" Ali's anger was fueled more by worry than anything else.

"Huh?" Ashlyn exhaled in a yawn, clearly woken from a deep sleep.

"Where are you, Ashlyn?!"

"Home." She said plainly.

"No..." Ali pointed out with more attitude than ever. "You _told_ me you were going home but I'm here and you are not."

Ashlyn's end of the line was silent.

Ali threw her hand up. "Where the fuck are you?!" 

"I'm. Home." Ashlyn repeated pointedly but Ali didn't hear it through the phone. She heard it from the doorway to their room.

There stood Ashlyn in black gym shorts and a white t-shirt. Phone in hand as she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. 

Ali just stared at her, completely confused.

"I was on the couch." Ashlyn said through a yawn and shook her head at Ali's reaction.

"Oh." Ali softened up a little, realizing her mistake. "You don't have to sleep on the couch, Ash."

"I know." Ashlyn was cold to her. "I fell asleep watching a movie." She clarified before shuffling to the bed and slowly pulling herself into it. "Sorry to piss you off." She mumbled sarcastically into her pillow. 

Ali felt bad. And dumb... really dumb. Maybe she could have handled that whole situation better. But she was still mad at Ashlyn.

She finished in the bathroom and composed herself before getting into bed.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you." She whispered, not knowing if she should say anything or not.

"Nothing's as bad as the silent treatment." Ashlyn said in a bitter tone and turned her back to Ali before drifting to sleep.

Ali laid there for a while. Her heart was aching but she didn't know what to do. So she said nothing. She did nothing. And when she woke up... Ashlyn was gone.

...

She came home around 7:00 that night. Ali was relieved to hear her car door but anxious about how the night was going to go.

Ali was sitting in the living room, waiting for her but Ashlyn walked right past.

Ali knew she deserved that. She got up and followed her to the kitchen.

"I texted you like six times. Why didn't you answer me?" Ali tried not to sound accusatory.

"Busy." Ashlyn was short with her. Ali knew that was coming.

"So you just ignored me? All day?" She asked.

"Yea!" Ashlyn said pointedly and walked back to the living room to sit on the couch.

"You can't just ignore me, Ashlyn!" Ali followed her and stood across from her.

Ashlyn slammed her water bottle down on the coffee table.

"What do you want from me?!" She snapped and Ali was completely caught by surprise. "You pushed me away **all** weekend. Now you're mad at me for giving you space." Ashlyn's voice was shaking, tears started to swell in her eyes. "Nothing I do is right! So tell me- what do you want from me? What do you want?!" She was sobbing, hands in the air asking Ali for an answer.

She broke down.

Ali stood there for a second. Not sure what to do in this situation- she had never seen Ashlyn like this. So upset. So hurt.

And the few seconds of hesitation said it all for Ashlyn. She wiped the tears from her cheeks and left.

...

Ali waited for an hour, maybe more, before she called her. She needed to compose herself.

Straight to voicemail. 

She decided to go for a walk to clear her head.

But when she walked outside she saw Ashlyn sitting on the front steps- and her mind went blank again anyway.

...

Ashlyn cringed when she heard the door open. She was hoping for a little more time and then she would come back.

She half expected Ali to walk past her or close the door and go back inside. But she didn't. She stood there silently for a moment.

And then sat down next to Ashlyn. Resting her head on Ashlyn's shoulder to surrender.

They were quiet for a while.

"I expected you to be halfway to Florida by now." Ali joked. Not entirely sure if they could do that right now. 

Ashlyn only hummed in response.

Ali pushed it a little further. "Or at least at Toni's playing with the dogs." She nudged Ashlyn who semi-smiled but didn't give in. 

"I was going to go to the gym..." Ashlyn admitted.

"Changed your mind?" Ali asked lightly when she noticed Ashlyn was opening up.

"Left my keys inside." Ashlyn tried not to smile.

Ali did smile and nudged her again. But Ashlyn was still rigid.

"Didn't want to go back in and see you." She got serious again and so did Ali.

"I know." Ali agreed and stood up to extend her hand to Ashlyn. "Come on." She looked her in the eyes for the first time in what seemed like forever. "We need to talk." She pulled Ashlyn up and guided her back inside. 

Ashlyn could feel the anxiety coming back up inside her.

...

Ali guided her to the couch and sat next to her. The awkward tension between them was new. They hardly ever got into big fights, aside from that time in Germany.

Ali took a deep breath and prepared to give the most sincere apology speech she had ever given. 

But Ashlyn took that deep breath as something else. A bad sign. And before Ali could begin, Ashlyn blurted out what she feared was the real reason behind all this...

"Are you breaking up with me?" She said rapidly. Nervously. And she didn't want to know the answer.

"What?!" Ali was completely thrown off.

"Its a simple question. Just answer it." She said rudely.

"No! I'm not breaking up with you! Why would you even ask that?!"

"Because that right there is the most you've said to me in three days... except when you yelled at me. You don't let me touch you, **at all**. You don't look at me- you're not even looking at me right now!" Ashlyn pointed out abruptly. She already felt herself getting upset.

Ali froze at that. She looked down with guilt.

"Are you..." She started loud and calmed down. "...breaking up with me?" She asked again, softer this time. Like she really thought it was true. And that made Ali's heart hurt the most.

"No." Ali tossed her hands up and let them fall. Tears beginning to fall to her lap as she continued to look down. She feared if she looked up she would fall apart completely.

"Then why are you doing this?" Ashlyn pleaded, tears threatening to spill from her eyes as well.

"Because I don't want you to go!" Ali confessed and now she did fall apart. Suddenly it was Ashlyn's turn to be caught off guard.

"What?" She asked softly. Leaning down to Ali's level. Not sure if she heard her right the first time.

"I don't want you to go!" She sobbed.

Ashlyn analyzed for a second. "But... you're the one who told me to look into it in the first place." She pointed out, almost as a question.

"I know." Ali sniffled. "But I didn't think you would actually leave me!" Ali cried.

"Alex, I'm not leaving _you_." 

"You know what I mean!" Ali pointed out as she cried into her hands.

"I'll only be gone for three months." Ashlyn reminded but Ali only cried harder at that. "Alex..." Ashlyn moved closer. She debated putting her arm around her girlfriend- the girl who had boxed her out for days, made her feel worthless.

But she shook those thoughts from her head. They were unnecessary. She loved Ali and that was all that mattered. Ashlyn wrapped an arm around Ali's back and pulled her onto her lap. Ali leaned into her chest and continued to sob.

...

"I'm sorry I was so mean to you." Ali apologized. "I let it go too far and I should have just talked to you instead of letting it get out of hand." She sniffled.

"Its okay." Ashlyn accepted.

"And I'm sorry I didn't hug you after the game. I was being bitter and that wasn't fair. You played great- eleven saves." Ali said softly, almost child-like.

"Oh, so you did notice." Ashlyn teased to lighten the mood.

"Always." Ali admitted, still leaning into Ashlyn. "And..." Ali stressed. She leaned back a bit. "I'm especially sorry I made you think I didn't want to be around you. I love you and I want to be close to you all the time. I was just being selfish and childish... and I'm sorry."

"Its okay." Ashlyn said again. "I'm sorry I flipped out on you before..."

"No, you had every right. This one's on me." She hugged Ashlyn tight, taking full responsibility. "Let's make the most of the next month, okay?"

"Okay." Ashlyn allowed it and pulled Ali in closer.

...

They talked it out for a while longer until Ali felt a little more at ease of the situation.

...

Ashlyn's phone went off later when she got a text. She was in the kitchen getting a snack and Ali absent-mindedly checked the message for her.

Ashlyn came back to the couch to find Ali staring at her phone.

"What?" Ashlyn asked hesitantly.

"I'm sorry." Ali handed the phone to her, feeling like she read something she shouldn't have. She looked to the TV and pretended she didn't see what it said but Ashlyn knew she did.

Text from Klingenberg. _"Did you tell her yet?"_

Ashlyn had to think fast. "Oh, it's from Kling. She asked if I told you about Tyreso yet." Ashlyn twisted the truth a bit.

"Oh." Ali was relieved.

And technically Ashlyn didn't lie. But what she purposely failed to clarify was that Kling was asking if she told Ali about Tyreso wanting her also. Ashlyn figured she should wait a little before dropping that one.

 _"Tomorrow."_ She texted back and put the phone in her pocket. _Tomorrow._

...


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You guys asked for a follow-up so here it is. Thanks for all your comments! Truly appreciate each and every one.

They made a deal to put the fight behind them. It was irrelevant and they only had so much time together before Ashlyn left. 

Ashlyn woke up early the next morning because she was too excited to sleep anymore. She wanted so badly to tell Ali, who was safely tucked into the crevice between Ashlyn and the bed, they were interested in her too but she couldn't until it was official. They planned to send the offer today so Ashlyn had to wait it out a little longer.

...

She was reading an article on Ali's iPad when an email notification came through- she only checked the name and she knew- Tyreso. There was no need to read it. Her stomach butterflied at the notion.

She "mistakenly" woke Ali up when she was getting out of bed. And she "mistakenly" left the email open on the iPad. And when Ali rolled over to go back to sleep- Ashlyn tucked it under her arm so it would be there when she woke up.

...

The scent of fresh-brewed coffee filled the kitchen and Ashlyn was debating whether or not to make breakfast for the two of them. But something hit her... What if Ali said no?

Ashlyn had only found out they wanted Ali last night but it was like she had already planned on it being the two of them.

She planned everything in her head- they'd have date nights and explore Stockholm, they'd invite the team over to their apartment for have dinner parties, they would be out of the public eye and in their own world for three months. Ashlyn couldn't wait.

But what if Ali didn't want the same? What if she wanted to stay in the US? She did spend five years in Germany. Maybe she was done living abroad.

And suddenly Ashlyn is second guessing everything. She's nervous.

And when Ali sleepily walks into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes and yawning, seemingly unaffected by possible news- Ashlyn worries even more.

But she brushes it off...

"Morning." She pulls Ali into a hug by the hem of her shirt.

"Hi." Ali says shyly as she falls into her embrace.

"How's my girl?" Ashlyn says endearingly and kisses the top of her head.

"Tired!" Ali confesses and hugs tighter.

"Mmmm." Ashlyn smiles. "Whose fault is that?" She teases.

"Yours." Ali mumbles from inside the hug. She hangs on a little longer to hide the blush on her face.

They both know she initiated it this time.

...

"Mmm... fika." Ali says quietly into her mug of coffee before taking a sip.

"What's that?"

"A Swedish coffee break." Ali says cleverly.

Ashlyn pauses at the stove as she makes breakfast. Ali studies her reaction carefully.

 _Wait a second..._ Ashlyn thinks Ali is up to something but when she turned around- Ali had a straight face.

"What?" She looked at Ashlyn weird.

"Nothing." Ashlyn waved her off. _Damn, I thought she was playing a trick on me. Guess she didn't read the email yet._

...

Ashlyn slid an omelet in front of Ali and sat beside her at the counter.

They ate breakfast and silently fought over different sections of the paper. Ashlyn won only because Ali dropped it when Ashlyn pretended to tip her chair back. She received a jab in the stomach... and the sports pages so it was worth it.

...

"Fine, I'll just read this article about Scandinavia." Ali said smartly and dramatically pretended to be interested in the story.

Ashlyn paused again. _Is she messing with me because I'm leaving? Or is she trying to tell me something?_

"Oh wow..." Ali picked up the paper and read aloud. "Did you know the literacy rate in Sweden is 99%?" She asked seriously. "That's crazy." She continued reading to herself.

Ashlyn narrowed her eyes and checked for any sign of a smile. But there was nothing.

She stood up and pulled the paper down so she could see Ali's face.

"Did you check your email?" She asked suspiciously.

"Did I... check my email...?" Ali repeated her question and thought back. "Hmmm..." She feigned deep thought.

"Alexandra..." Ashlyn half warned.

"No." She said finally. "No, I didn't."

But Ashlyn wasn't convinced. She studied Ali's face carefully, waiting for her to break or show a sign she was lying. And Ali kept a straight face.

So Ashlyn stared...

And she waited...

And right before she was about to turn away- one corner of Ali's mouth faltered slightly. No one else would have noticed. But Ashlyn did.

Ali tried to straighten it out but it was too late.

"You did read it!" Ashlyn excitedly concluded as she stepped back at the revelation. Now Ali couldn't hide the smile if she tried.

"Dammit!" Ali shouted and jumped down from her stool, mad her plan fell through. She patted herself on the back for making it that far. "I thought I had you!" She laughed.

Ashlyn laughed with her before she leaned on the back of the couch as her nerves came back. "I know you need time to think so we don't have to talk about it yet but... I really hope you decide to come." She said innocently.

Ali gave her a confused look and slowly walked over. She got right up to Ashlyn and looked her in the eyes before moving closer with a smile. She hugged Ashlyn and purposely leaned them back far enough they both toppled onto the couch.

She giggled and hugged Ashlyn tight on top of her. Keeping her close.

"You're crazy if you think I'd choose to be anywhere but with you." Ali said softly as she let go and tenderly kissed Ashlyn's cheek. "Its my turn to follow _you_."

Ashlyn leaned up so she could see Ali's face- there was no falter in her expression this time. "Teammates again, huh?" Ashlyn asked slyly.

"Teammates... Roommates." She started a verbal list and Ashlyn smiled softly. "Soul-mates." Ali added and leaned up to kiss her. When they broke they leaned their foreheads together.

"I like that one best." Ashlyn whispered as Ali pulled her close and hugged her like she was never going to let go.


End file.
